Test and measurement systems are designed to receive signal inputs, sample the signals, and display the result as a waveform. Various settings can be employed to control the manner of sampling, the nature of the samples taken, and the manner in which the waveform is displayed. Some advanced test and measurement systems include large numbers of potential control settings, and many such settings are only useful for specific input types. Accordingly, advanced models can inundate the user with choices, while making relevant settings exceedingly difficult to find.
Various approaches have been employed to combat the usability problems inherent with a complex control interface. For example, commonly-used measurements can be placed at the top of the display for easier access. However, this approach is not context sensitive, and a commonly used measurement for some users may not be commonly-used for other users. Another approach involves automatically adding potential measurements to the display screen, but such approaches are not tailored to the received waveform and may contain overly general or irrelevant information. Yet another approach allows a user to select a snapshot window of a measured waveform and all measurements related to the window are displayed including both relevant and irrelevant data. Such an approach still requires a user to sift through irrelevant information to find useful measurement options for an incoming waveform.
Embodiments of the invention address these and other issues.